


An Unexpected Romance

by SolriFairy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Adam (Voltron), Altean Hunk (Voltron), Altean Lance (Voltron), Altean Pidge | Katie Holt, Galra Keith (Voltron), Galra Shiro (Voltron), Lot of alteans, M/M, Serenity and Endymion AU from sailor moon, Some angst towards the end for... reasons, galtean klance, like Shadam, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 06:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16759654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolriFairy/pseuds/SolriFairy
Summary: Lance knew it was a bad idea, hell, an hour-long lecture from his father told him so. But honestly, he didn't give a damn. He just couldn't help himself and keep his curiosity in tow for much longer. One thing he never expected to gain was a forbidden romance.~This fic is inspired by a Tumblr post I ran into. This love story is similar to Serenity's and Endymion's from sailor moon. However, don't expect everything to be exactly the same as Sailor Moon. Took a pretty long time to think of some ideas though, I hope you all enjoy this!





	1. Chapter 1

He closed his eyes with a small scowl on his lips as the wind swept through his silky white hair. It wasn't like he was being completely serious, his father should've known better. The only thing he was said was that he was interested in at least catching a subtle glimpse of the Galra Empire as he'd never seen it before, it wasn't like he wanted to step foot in there (even if he really did want to, not that he would tell anyone).

Lance, Prince of Altea, just couldn't see the issue with wanting to see it. He groaned as he recalled the hour-long speech Alfor, King of Altea and his father, gave him. The King didn't leave out any details when it came to talking about how dangerous and forbidden it was, but that only made the poor boy yearn to see it even more. Even Coran, Alfor's most trusted advisor, jumped on the bandwagon and told him more stories than he could count about how Alfor was absolutely right and how Lance would have no business being there. Much to his relief though, Allura, Princess of Altea and his half-sister, didn't want to comment on his silly fantasies (as Alfor called them). It wasn't like thinking something like this was silly, was it? Then again, if his mother was here she would've pinched his cheek and lightly scolded him that being so curious would get him in trouble someday. A fond smile replaced the scowl on his lips.

_'I'll try to keep out of trouble Mama...'_

Lance leaned his head on his hand and continued watching the stars until a sharp knock interrupted his thoughts. He left his balcony along with his thoughts and walked to his door, "yes?" He asked through the door.

"My Prince the Royal family is waiting for you in the Ballroom to start the Ball," a guard said, by his nervous tone Lance must've guessed he was running pretty late.

"Y-Yes, tell them I'm on my way!" He stumbled over several things littered around his room and started getting ready. How could he have forgotten about the Ball tonight?! They practically had one every week anyway. Sometimes he never saw the point of having them so frequently or even going to one, but he wasn't one to turn down a good party anyway.

As he got ready he grumbled at his terrible memory and his own stupid insistent curious thoughts. He let in a deep breath and looked himself over. Once he deemed himself ready to be seen by the public he smiled at the mirror and placed his circlet gently on his head. Lance smiled when he remembered the day his mother gave it to him.

The memory soon faded away at the harsh knocking on his door. He'd had just about enough of the knocking on his door, it always interrupted his thoughts. Lance grumbled and opened the door, "yes, yes! I'm on my way!" He said, walking past the guards and making his way to the Ballroom.

*~*~*

It seemed like whenever the royal family threw a ball, which was very often, everyone in the Kingdom came. Every ball always had something new to make different than the last, whether it be the music or the food. Anyone who attended always left with new memories to share with anyone who didn't attend, which was a very scarce amount of people. Everyone enjoyed them without fail. Well, except for one person, Lance. It wasn't like he hated them, it was more so that sometimes it felt like the same routine over and over. Dance, eat, drink while eligible men and women tried to sweep him off his feet (Altea never really saw a problem with same-sex marriage anyway).

He held in a sigh as he got ready for another pointless ball full of pointless flirting. His father always told to be polite anyway despite all the men and women he met turned out to be pretty dull. It was going to be pretty hard to seem interested given that he was still hung up on seeing the Galra Empire.

Meanwhile, he was too hung up on his thoughts to realize it had already started... Without him. It was then that he held in another sigh and sucked it up. It wasn't like it was always like this like they never paid attention to him at all. If it was he would probably still be a lowly servant with a dead mother who used to be a maid.

Lance felt tears prick his eyes but they were soon forgotten when felt someone slam into his back. Just as he was about to glare at whoever it was he noticed it was Allura, who had slight pink coloring to her cheeks. Allura looked up to apologize to whoever it was but brightened up when she noticed it was her brother. "Lance, you're here!" She exclaimed, grabbing his wrist to pull him closer to her.

Lance laughed at her antics and gazed at the slight pink on her cheeks. He rose a questioning brow, "Have you been drinking?" He asked, trying to keep his laughter toward her to a minimum.

Allura huffed and feigned innocence, "no, of course not," she responded, trying to hide the cup of what seemed to alcohol behind her back (Is it also worth mentioning that they also have the most expensive alcohol too?). He once again had to try his best to keep in his laughter, fortunately, he didn't have to try for long when a hand on his shoulder distracted him. He turned to who it was and smiled when he saw his two best friends, Pidge and Hunk.

"Hey, guys! You're here!" He exclaimed happily. Lance looked back at Allura having felt her leave his arms only to see her being dragged away by Coran, no doubt already being scolded about all the drinks she had been getting. He began to laugh when he noticed Allura pouting at all the boring stories Coran was probably telling her about watching how much you drink.

Lance's attention was back on his friends again when he heard Pidge begin to speak. "So, Lance," she started with a teasing glint in her eyes, "heard you got a pretty long scolding from King Alfor." Lance let his gaze fall to Hunk when he heard him trying to stifle an amused chuckle.

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms with a huff, "he was just being overdramatic. It's not like I did anything wrong anyway," Lance claimed causing Pidge and Hunk to raise their brows at him as they were aware of his antics.

Pidge looked to Hunk and he nodded. "Oh really?" He inquired, "how so?" The only thing they heard was that Lance received what servants described as the scolding of a lifetime, not much more after that.

The only response they received was Lance admiring his nails, the same pout still evident on his face. Pidge crossed her arms, not enjoying the suspense. "Lance?" She dragged his name out, expecting an answer. She got the desired effect when she noticed him flinch at her tone.

"Well..." He hesitated, "all I said was that I was interested in seeing the Galra Empire from up close..." Lance let his gaze fall to the floor not wanting to see his friends shocked and fearful faces at the mention of the Galra Empire. All he was waiting for was one of Hunk's famous fearful screams and Pidge's scolding.

"Lance, are you crazy?!"

There it was.

Lance decided he had enough with all this scolding from everyone today and tuned out their entire speech about why it was so bad. I mean, was it really so bad that the Galra decided not to join into the Silver Millennium? Okay, scratch that, maybe it was bad that they decided war was better than newfound peace.

When he assumed they were done scolding him, which they obviously weren't, he caught the eye of a cute Altean across the ballroom and gave her a small wink. She responded with a flirty wave and started to beckon him over to which he obviously obliged, leaving Pidge and Hunk to slowly stop scolding him when they realized he left.

"So, I don't understand why you actually want to go there... And he's gone."

Hunk sighed and laid a hand on Pidge's shoulder, "let's just leave him be for now. He'll understand sooner or later."

Pidge sighed, "somehow I kinda doubt that Hunk."

*~*~*

The Ball seemed to be going well based off the smiles on everyone's faces, Lance, in particular, was practically beaming with all the attention from potential partner's. However, none of them seemed to stay that way for very long. Soon after about a couple of minutes, it was evident that they mostly wanted the throne rather than him (they should technically be chasing after Allura for that, but who was he to deny all the attention anyway?).

Just as he was about to call it a night, he had been dancing for quite a while, he felt a hand trail down his bicep to his hand. He turned around and suppressed the urge to bite his lip at who he saw. In front of him was a man who could only describe as an Adonis. Before the Altean man could catch onto his shock he quickly put on a smirk, "now, where have you been all my life handsome?" Asked Lance.

Seemed like the Lance charm was working based on the way his Adonis's pale skin flushed. "What's your name handsome?" Asked Lance, as the man pressed to kiss to his hand causing the bangs from his blue hair to fall over his green eyes.

"Graham, my Prince."

Lance was starting to enjoy this Ball more and more as the time passed, especially now that Graham introduced himself. "Care for a dance, Graham?" He asked holding his hand, waiting to feel Graham's hand slip into his. Graham smiled at the invite to dance and grabbed Lance's hand. It was a welcoming feeling when Graham slipped his free hand across Lance's waist, it was normal whenever he danced with males for them to lead anyway. The dance had a rocky start at first but it soon became fun, especially with the way he was being led. He even found himself giggling a couple of times.

Unfortunately, like always, the only thing these ever wanted was to be part of the royal family and that was exactly what this suitor wanted as well. Soon enough, the lovely silent whispers into his ear became a tad more demanding for something more than just dancing.

Lance felt a frown come to his face and quickly got out of Graham's arms. "Have a good night," he said curtly, leaving him there gaping at Lance's retreating figure. _That was definitely enough for one night,_ he thought to himself before retreating back to his room.

After walking through all the long hallways in the castle he found his way back to his room. He sighed in relief and walked to his balcony, breathing in the fresh air from outside. It seemed like everytime felt annoyed or frustrated, which was slowly becoming both, he came outside. He guessed it was because he was always in awe of the moon and stars. One thing he also started to notice was that he could see where the Galra Empire was just in the far off distance. It was clear he couldn't make it on his own to a separate planet entirely, his shoulder's slumped at the thought. But... Then again, there was something he could try...

Lance hesitated for a moment and stopped to think of a plan for a moment. If he left tonight and was back by morning, no one would notice he was gone, right? He laid a hand on his chin in thought. With the Ball still going, no one could have noticed he left early. The more in thought he stayed the more he thought it was a good idea. Once he felt like he made up his mind he grabbed his cloak and draped it over his shoulder's.

It was safe to assume most of the guards wouldn't be able to see him if he left his room, as many of them were at the Ball guarding Alfor and Allura (and technically Lance, but they didn't notice he left anyway). There he could activate a gateway to take him to the Galra Empire. It was a full proof plan, in his opinion at least.

After a small while of tiptoeing throughout the hallway's, he found a passage he had been looking for which led to the transport. The room was small having no need of anything else besides two beams that Allura usually laid her hands on to take whoever was present to wherever Allura requested. This room was usually used for when they needed to meet Diplomats from other Kingdoms, in short, for small groups of people.

Sure, Lance had never exactly tried to use this form of transport before, but it can't be too hard, right? He nodded to himself, if Allura could he might be able to do it too. He let in a deep breath and laid his hands over the beams just as Allura always does. Something he picked up from Allura was that he had to concentrate and think of where he wanted to go. He felt his brows begin to furrow with all the concentration.

Just as he was ready to give up and try again another time, Lance felt the marks on his cheeks tingle and his hands grow warm. He cracked an eye open and they both soon widened at the sight of an entryway leading towards the Empire. Lance could swear this was the most excited he probably felt in his entire life. He let in a deep breath, put the hood his cloak up, and walked through.

When he stepped through Lance was thoroughly surprised at the environment. The sky was dark, he assumed because of the night, and the plants surrounding him were a mix of purple and black. It was strange, to say the least as Altea has a wide variety of colors in their garden, even the people were varied in colors as well. Lance let his eyes wander around more and noticed a giant castle to be a little ways away from the garden, the castle wasn't varied in much in colors either (the same purple and black).

His awe was soon interrupted when he felt something slam into his back. Lance yelped as he fell against the, believe or not, purple grass. He struggled to turn around to see what slammed against him, but once he did he was face to face with what looked like a wolf and a sword pointed at his face. He immediately raised his hands up in surrender to what he assumed was a Galra and a handsome one at that. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith never thought he'd end up in a mess like this.

His purple ears twitched when he heard the bushes rustle in the garden near the castle. After having snuck through so many times Keith has come to learn not many people come here this time of day, which is why he and Kolar usually meet here. He quickly grabbed Cosmo's, his space wolf, fur to stop him from teleporting towards the source of the noise.

Bringing a finger to his lips to keep Cosmo from making noise Keith took a chance to peek over the bush he was kneeling beside, he saw nothing. He closed his eyes and focused on hearing his surroundings. Whoever it was seemed too small to be Kolar or Galran in general.

Keith let go of Cosmo's neck and gestured for him to teleport towards the noise in hopes of distracting whoever was there. For all he knew, it could be one of Haggar's spies trying to find out what he was up too. He couldn't risk anything. He kept listening and noticed Cosmo had succeeded when he heard a surprised yelp.

Keith moved in and already had a sword pointed towards their neck. "Who are you and what is your purpose?" He asked, eyebrows furrowing. When the person in question had yet to respond he moved his sword towards the hood and pushed it off. Keith took in the person's face and his eyes slowly widened, he quickly stepped back with Cosmo following him. His sword almost fell sword fall from his hand but he quickly tightened his grip around it.

One thing he had to admit was that, whoever this person was, they were beautiful. Keith felt like he was staring too long for comfort and shook his head to stop himself from thinking too much about that silky white hair. He caught himself again and inwardly scolded himself.

"Well?" Keith asked, "what is an Altean doing here?" His eyes shifted to the blue markings on his soft looking tan skin. _Damn it... Focus!_ , he thought to himself while pointing his sword further towards the Altean's neck.

Meanwhile, Lance was stuck in the same trance Keith was in just moments ago. It was taking all of his willpower not to touch those furry purple ears and fix that horrendous hair, seriously what would you even call that atrocity? Having never seen a Galran before Lance began to wonder if they all had the same fluffy ears and purple skin, he hoped they didn't have the same haircut.

Even with the horrible haircut, seriously who has haircuts like that, Lance couldn't stop himself from blurting out his response. "You're beautiful," he said before clamping his mouth shut and mumbling to himself, did I really say that? He felt his cheeks grow red.

Just like Lance, Keith also felt his cheeks grow red. He shook off the embarrassment, "your words won't distract me!" He persisted, "tell me your business!" He scanned over the mysterious person's appearance once more and noticed the circlet on his head. Keith narrowed his eyes in focus.

Lance put his hands up in surrender, "look, no need to be hostile," he said nervously, "I just wanted to see Galra Empire, is that so bad?" He felt sweat beginning to drip down his neck. He wondered if the Galran had noticed the way his beautiful violet eyes glanced at his neck.

Keith rose a brow and tilted his head to the side in confusion, "who in their right mind would want to see this dreary place?" He asked, lowering his sword a bit. The answer had to be a good one considering how the Galra Empire was essentially made up of the same colors, purple and black. It was dull, so, who in their mind would want to come here for fun?

"Well," Lance said chuckling, "luckily I've never been in my right mind."

Keith scoffed, "I can see that. What's your name?"

"Lance. Yours?"

Before Keith said his name he took a moment to think, where had he heard Lance's name before? It was familiar. Suddenly it came to him, Lance was part of the royal family back in Altea. He should've guessed as much after seeing the circlet on his head.

"You're that useless prince Zarkon talks about," Keith said bluntly. He inwardly scolded himself for being so blunt, especially after seeing the hurt look on the Prince's face.

Lance felt a small ache in his heart. "Excuse me! I am not useless," he said, "I'd like to see how you'd fare in a fight with me when I have my bow and arrow!" He crossed his arms.

Keith scoffed and walked away from him, "yeah, sure. I'm shivering in fear," he replied sarcastically, not even bothering to notice that Lance was following him. 

"I'm serious! Geez, are all Galra as rude as you?!" He asked with a pointed look, "what's your name anyway?"

Keith scoffed and ignored the comment on Galra, he'd love to see how Lance would've faired with anyone other than him. Most were stab first, ask questions later. "Why should I tell you?" He asked, shuffling through the plants in the garden. Kolar was still nowhere to be found and Keith was starting to get irritated, Lance definitely wasn't helping at all by asking so many questions. 

Lance rolled his eyes and didn't notice Keith's anger slowly growing. "I told you mine, it's only fair you tell me yours," he replied simply as if stating the obvious. 

Before he could say anything else Keith abruptly stopped causing Lance to bump into his muscular back (Lance definitely didn't describe it like that in his head). As if sensing Lance was going to make another comment Keith clamped a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. He glanced at Cosmo, who had heard the sound too. When he clearly heard footsteps he shoved Lance behind a tree and whispered, "be quiet and stay here." 

Keith carefully walked to the noise, but soon sighed in relief at the familiar Galra. "Finally you're here," he said, his tense shoulders relaxing at the sight of Kolar. 

Kolar was average height compared to Galra, taller than Keith, with purple skin a tad lighter than Keith's and smaller ears. He also had a long braid that started at the nape of his neck. "I apologize, Keith," he said, kneeling down to greet Cosmo, "it was hard to get away."

Keith nodded in understanding, "did you find anything?" He asked, the sword in his hand forming back into a small dagger. He put it back into its sheath on his back. 

Meanwhile, Lance leaned out from behind the tree and stared at the two in awe. He almost let out a gasp of surprise after seeing the sword Keith had transform into a dagger. The Galran here were just full of surprises in Lance's opinion. He tried leaning out to hear more of their conversation only to fall in the grass.

Kolar stopped himself from talking and tensed up, "what was that?" He asked, standing up with his own dagger in his hand. 

Keith glanced back at the tree and sighed in relief as Lance wasn't visible. He quickly placed a hand on Kolar's shoulder to stop him from moving, "I'm sure it's nothing," he said quickly. 

Kolar wasn't convinced and tried to step around Keith. He had to think of something and fast. "I'll... Uh...-" Keith looked to Kosmo- "I'll send Cosmo to check it out for us," he said, nudging his head to the trees while Cosmo stared at him. 

Cosmo quickly went over to where Lance was, out of sight. Keith sighed in relief as Kolar stopped. "Anyway, has Shiro found out anything?" He asked, crossing his arms. 

"Nothing, there's a possibility of us getting demoted with all the snooping we've been caught doing," he explained. In Kolar's and Shiro's defense, it was difficult to be sneaky when people can spot you from a mile away. 

That was when things got more difficult on Keith's end. It has happened several times when his two most trusted allies, Kolar and Shiro, weren't able to do much and he had to take most of the workload. As much as he would never admit it, he was shorter than the average Galra and a tad taller than the average Altean. 

Keith ran a hand through his hair, "well, for now, let's see what he can do," he said, "stay out of sight on your way back. Be careful."

His ally nodded and turned back for a moment before leaving, "what about you?" He asked.

"I..." Keith thought back to Lance and Cosmo behind the tree, no doubt still trying to peak, "I have something to deal with before getting back." He tried to keep down a nervous laugh in hopes of not piquing Kolar's curiosity. Luck seemed to be on Keith's side as Kolar didn't question anything and left with a nod. 

Letting out a relieved sigh, Keith turned back to the tree, where he could see white hair peeking from behind it. He scowled and walked over to Lance, "are you done?" He asked, his tone deadpan. Keith felt more tired than he'd like to admit and having such a curious Altean around didn't help at all. 

Without even missing a beat Lance came out, "what was that?" He asked, interested. Anyone who knew Lance well enough would know Keith was going to be stuck answering all of Lance's questions about what he just witnessed. 

Keith held in the urge to sigh again, he might as well humor him. "That was a meeting for a secret organization," he explained, "that's where the knife comes in-" Keith unsheathed it- "it's proof that you're a member and it's exclusively for Galra and Galra alone." He emphasized that in hopes that Lance wouldn't get any bright ideas.

Lance rolled his eyes, "don't worry, I won't feel heartbroken if I can't join your secret club," he said with a scoff. 

"It's not a club!" 

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," replied Lance, "what's it called and why'd you form it in the first place?" He quickly asked, itching to reach for the knife to touch it. 

The knife was quickly sheathed before Lance could even lay a finger on it, Lance pouted in response. "It's called the Marmora, it's slowly growing and..." Keith let himself trail off when he remembered the reason of the founding in the first place. 

Lance wanted to raise a brow and ask, well? But he figured by the look on Keith's face it'd be better not to ask. He decided to change the subject. "Anyway," he said, "so... I heard your name's Keith." There was a smug smirk on his face as Keith's eyes widened. 

Before commenting Keith spent the next few minutes cursing at Kolar for saying his name despite the fact that he was oblivious to Lance being around. "Yes," grumbled Keith, sitting down on the grass. He held in a grunt as Cosmo laid himself on his lap. He swore that dog thought he was a small puppy. 

"So, Keith," Lance said with a smirk, "why just Marmora? Wouldn't it be cooler to make the name longer?" He inquired. 

Keith grumbled at how Lance said his name and thought for a moment. In reality, he didn't think much of the name. Nor did he care. The name was a team effort anyway, so, why did it matter? He asked that same question to Lance. "Why does it matter?" He asked, running his hands through Cosmo's fur. 

Staying quiet for a moment, Keith relished in the silence, Lance thought. He quickly snapped his fingers when a thought came. "Well, wouldn't it pique people's interest more if it had a cooler name?" He asked, "like, if the name said something more about the people in it?" 

It was hard to admit given how cocky Lance looked, but Keith thought it wasn't such a bad idea. "Okay, I'll bite," he responded, "like what?" He watched as Lance took another moment to think and tried to ignore his legs beginning to lose their feeling thanks to Cosmo. 

Lance thought back to Keith's conversation with Kolar and tried to remember anything that stood out. One thing he did remember was that they both had similar looking daggers. Then as if a light bulb lit up at the top of his head, he perked up with a triumphant smile. "I got it!" He proclaimed proudly causing Keith to raise a brow.

"The Knives of Marmora!" Said Lance. 

The only thing heard after that was dead silence. Keith stared at him as if asking him if he was serious, meanwhile, Lance could only be proud of his "amazing" name idea. Keith finally decided to break the silence, "yeah, no," he said, "knives? Where did you even get that from?" He asked.

Lance gaped at him, "what?! It's a great name!" He defended, crossing his arms with an evident pout on his face. "Besides, you and that guy were carrying the same knife," he pointed out.

Keith was taken aback as he grabbed his knife and stared at it. Now that he thought about the knife, besides the symbol at the hilt, it did look similar to Kolar's. "Okay, fine. I'll admit that they do," Keith said, ignoring Lance's beaming smile, "but "The Knives of Marmora" just sounds weird to me."

"Yeah, I guess your right," responded Lance, not even bothering to defend the name he thought up earlier.

They both took a moment to think of anything better than Knives of Marmora, which, understandably, took some time. Eventually, after Keith was staring at his dagger for who knows how long, he thought of something. "Um...-" he scratched at the back of his head- "how about... The Blades of Marmora?"

After what felt like an inappropriate amount of time of Lance staring at Keith, which made him more nervous than before, he beamed. "That's awesome!" Exclaimed Lance, "so much better than what I thought of." He smiled. 

Keith smiled at him, "yeah, it definitely is," he responded, holding in a laugh when he remembered the name Lance proposed earlier. 

Lance pouted and crossed his arms, "at least I don't have that godawful haircut," he retorted.

"Wha-?" Keith said, dumbfounded, "what's wrong with it?" He asked, reaching back to touch the ends of his hair. 

The only reply he got was a scoff. "Are you kidding?" Asked Lance, "are all Galra blind to back haircuts or just you?" 

Keith grumbled something intangible under his breath, but Lance assumed it was probably an insult. He looked up at the sky and suddenly the reality of his situation came back. "We have to get you home before daybreak," he said, standing up causing Cosmo to reluctantly get off his lap. 

Lance's face fell, "wait, what? Already?" He asked, slight reluctance in his tone. It was obvious why he didn't want to leave yet, he'd barely seen anything of this place besides the same colored plants. 

Keith nodded, "besides you're not missing out on much," he said after seeing the sad look on Lance's face, "trust me. This place isn't the best to stroll through." He said that with a sad tone while trying to mask the expression on his face. 

Before Lance could ask for more detail Keith seemed to be ready to change the subject. He motioned for Cosmo to come near and knelt down at his level, "okay, bud, you remember seeing Altea once, right?" Asked Keith, petting the top of his head. Assuming Cosmo understood Keith continued, "well, you're gonna have to take Lance there and then come back, okay?"

"Wait, are you sure he'll be alright traveling that far?" Interjected Lance. He'd hate to be the reason why Cosmo got hurt in any way. He was attached to the wolf already, can you blame him?

Keith nodded to him and stood back up, "he'll be fine. He can travel through the stars," he explained, "let's just hope no one notices a small comet flying through the sky when you get close." 

Lance nodded, but something irked him a bit. "You mentioned seeing Altea," he said, Keith nodded, "have you ever actually been there before?" He asked. He absolutely sure that couldn't have been possible considering his father was not very fond of Galran.

Keith shook his head, "obviously not. I've only ever flown by it, but I'm sure Cosmo will be able to land there with no problem," he said, scratching the back of Cosmo ear affectionately. He gestured for Lance to grab onto Cosmo, which he did.

Before leaving, Lance turned to Keith. "Hey, maybe you should come by sometime," he said with a smile, "just a thought."

Before Keith could respond, Lance was gone in a flash of blue.

* * *

Lance stumbled and put his hands out to stop himself from falling on the ground. He never would've guessed traveling with Cosmo would be so abrupt. His eyes trailed down to the ground where a crater formed, fortunately, they landed a little far away from the castle so no one would really notice. Keith never told him about that... He shrugged. Looking up at the sky he realized the morning would be coming soon. 

He knelt down to Cosmo's level, "you think could take me a little bit closer to the castle?" He asked. In response, Cosmo licked his cheek, Lance smiled and took that as a yes. 

Disappearing in a flash of blue they reappeared closer to the castle. This time there was no crater, Lance let out a sigh of relief. He knelt to Cosmo's level again, "thanks, bud," he said, petting him behind the ear, "you sure you'll be okay going back?" He asked.

Cosmo responded by leaving in the flash of blue like before. Lance only hoped that he got back okay and didn't get hurt in the process. 

He shifted his gaze towards the castle and held in a small groan, he just realized there wouldn't be much time to sleep before his lessons began. That also meant no time for his skin routine. 

But even as he walked back to his room, he didn't really find himself having an ounce of regret for going in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you believe me if I told you I wanted to upload this earlier, but then three essays slapped me in the face and then I injured my neck?
> 
> Anyway, I'd love to see some comments from you guys and if anyone wants to interact go to my tumblr, Solrifairy. I might start posting some sneak peeks of chapters there and when I'll be able to update. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this, thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This unexpected visitor was definitely making Lance's day a lot more interesting.

There was a red coloring to his cheeks after Lance had left, insinuating him and Keith should meet again. Except, this time, the feeling was different. He had blushed before, multiple times considering he had someone like Shiro for a brother, but those times he was flushed because of embarrassment or anger.

A funny feeling came to his stomach, did he eat something strange earlier? Recalling everything he did today, he hadn't eaten anything of the ordinary. Keith shrugged and sat down, waiting for Cosmo to return so they could go back to the castle.

While sitting, he continued mulling over the feeling despite wanting to stop thinking about it. He then began to feel the warm air around him become stifling and snapped up. That was it. Keith was probably flustered because of the weather, not Lance. He breathed a sigh of relief, that made a lot more sense and it brought a sense of comfort when he solved the problem.

Waiting for Cosmo turned out to be a shorter wait than expected. Keith perked up at the sight of his dog. "Hey," he said fondly as Cosmo nuzzled his snout against his cheek.

"Here I thought you were gonna leave me to stay in Altea," he joked. Keith may have never seen Altea, but he could guess it was a lot more charming than this part of the Galran Empire. Cosmo huffed as if to tell him, never. But Keith had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't mind going back, even if it was for a visit.

Standing up, Keith held onto Cosmo's fur, "you think you got one more in you?" He asked, idly rubbing at Cosmo ear. He knew traveling somewhere far and coming back would be tiring, but he'd rather his wolf only have to teleport one more time to his room rather than walk. Sure, he could carry him, but his arms would probably give out before he got back to his room.

Cosmo looked up at him and licked his other hand, Keith took that as a yes. "Well, you know where to go," he said, stroking his fur.

In an instant, Keith was back in his room. He let out a small chuckle as he watched Cosmo yawn and take his spot on his bed. Before he could join his dog he felt a hand on his shoulder. He yelped and quickly unsheathed his knife, pressing to the intruder's neck. After getting a good look at whoever it was, he groaned when he recognized them and heard that all too familiar chuckle.

"Geez, Shiro! Stop doing that," Keith grumbled, sheathing his knife when he sat down on his bed. He continued glaring at his so-called brother who was busy laughing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity on Keith's end, Shiro stopped laughing. "I can't help it, you do that all the time," he said, flashing a smile that crinkled his nose a bit along with the pale purple scar across it. 

"Well, excuse me for being on edge after coming back from a meeting that could get us killed," Keith snapped, his glare intensifying. He wasn't really _that_ angry, but it didn't help that Shiro scared him like that just after meeting the son of the Galran Empire's sworn enemy.

Shiro held up his hands in surrender, his ears doing the same as his hands under Keith's gaze.

Keith stared up at him. 

Considering their similar facial features it was clear why people always asked if they were brothers. That wasn't actually the case despite Shiro always calling him his baby brother, something Keith loathed. Despite sharing the same black hair and ears that looked alike, Shiro's are smaller than Keith's, the two aren't blood-related. They still thought of each other as brothers anyway.

"What's got you so tense?" Asked Shiro, putting his hands down. He walked over to Keith's bed and sat beside him, "you usually come back from these things just fine."

Keith stayed quiet as he thought back on what happened. Mostly, on that mischievous Altean that just refused to leave his thoughts. "It's nothing I just..." He trailed off. He knew in his heart that he could tell Shiro anything, but... It didn't seem like a good idea right now. It was too risky and the last thing he wanted was to get him involved.

He let his eyes stay glued to the floor, knowing that if he so much as glanced at that soft, father-y look in Shiro's eyes he would cave. Keith could feel the pointed expression he was currently giving him, urging him to continue.

Despite wanting to stay quiet, he would have to say something at some point. "I'm just nervous about how things are gonna work now is all," said Keith, standing up from his bed. It was beginning to feel stuffy, feeling Shiro hovering over his shoulder.

Keith's ears twitched at the sound of rustling blankets, indicating that Shiro was standing up. He then felt a hand on his shoulder, Shiro's, it gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, Keith," consoled Shiro, "we'll be with you every step of the way."

A smile came to Keith's lips and he looked up at his brother, "thanks, Shiro."

* * *

When Lance finally got back to the comfort of his room he heaved out a big sigh and collapsed on his bed. It was only a matter of time before one of his father's advisers came in and told him it was time for his lessons. He grumbled at the thought. Usually, he enjoyed those lessons, but given how tired he was he wasn't in the mood.

The dobosh he heard his door open he nuzzled himself deeper in his pillows in hopes of not being seen. That didn't seem to be very effective, though, because whoever came in to wake him wasn't amused to see him still in bed.

"Lance," they said, "come on."

At the sound of the voice, Lance lifted his head and saw Adam, one of his father's advisers, standing next to his bed with his arms crossed. If it were any other person Lance would've gone back to sleep without a second thought, but he knew Adam would drag him out of bed in the end anyway.

So, he was forced to get out, an annoyed whine coming from him as he climbed out of the warmth of his blankets. Lance's eyes squinted at the sunlight peeking in through the window, he had left the curtains opened. The blazing sun of Altea was always something hard to get used to. Sure, it was nice feeling the warmth on his sun-kissed skin, but in the morning, it was relentless.

His gaze shifted to Adam. The sunlight peeking in didn't fail to highlight the lavender colored marks on his cheeks which were his most notable feature thanks to his dark skin.

"Glad to see you had your fill of beauty sleep," he joked with a small smile tugging at his lips.

Lance rolled his eyes, "don't patronize me," he snapped, walking to his bathroom to get ready. He may not have much time for his skincare routine, but the least he could do was fix his hair.

When he looked in the mirror he winced at who was staring back at him. Whoever it was, their hair was a mess and they had bags under their eyes. It wasn't a pretty sight compared to how they're normally supposed to look. Not to mention, they were still in their outfit from last night, something Adam surely noticed.

"So," began Adam causing Lance to flinch slightly at the tone. He knew that tone, the scenario never ended well when Adam talked like that. He spoke as if he knew something, it certainly didn't help that he was nonchalantly admiring his nails. Adam definitely knew something.

"I didn't see you at the ball yesterday," continued Adam. It took everything in Lance's power not to flinch at the statement because then that would confirm whatever suspicion he had.

Lance took in a small breath and pleaded to the white lion that he wouldn't stumble over his sentence. "What do you mean I wasn't there?" He asked, chuckling, "just ask Pidge and Hunk, they'll tell you I was there." To Lance, it seemed like a pretty solid alibi. Unfortunately for him, in that short moment, he underestimated how smart Adam was.

"Oh, I did," he said simply, "but, after a short while, and correct if I'm wrong, I could've sworn I saw you leave." Adam stopped gazing at his nails and hit Lance with a hard stare. "Not to mention, you're still wearing your clothes from last night."

Lance stopped fixing those small, unruly strands of hair near his bangs and stared at his reflection. He knew he'd have to choose his next words wisely, otherwise, Adam might end up finding everything out and then his father would be informed. And if his father was informed, he shuddered, the house arrest would be unbearable.

Turning away from the mirror Lance pointed his finger at Adam, "that... is an excellent question," he said slowly, thinking of his next response. He tried his best not to meet his eyes because then it would all be over for him.

He snapped his fingers, "one that I have a very excellent answer to," he said, still pointing at Adam, "and..." Lance stayed staring at anywhere other than Adam's eyes for a moment and then sneezed, thus giving him an idea.

"I wasn't feeling well," Lance said quickly, shrugging. It wasn't a complete lie considering how he felt right now. "I was so worn out I couldn't even change and just collapsed into bed."

At that, Adam immediately grew concerned, "what?! When?!" He asked, walking over to Lance to check his forehead and cheeks, "why didn't you tell anyone? We have to get you to a healing pod." He grabbed Lance's wrist, pulling him until Lance tugged his hand away.

Adam scrunched his brows together when Lance pulled away, "what's the problem?" He questioned.

"I'm feeling better now. No need to get me to a healing pod," assured Lance, waving his hands in front of him.

Even if he didn't seem convinced, Adam dropped the subject. "Alright," he sighed, "if you say so."

Lance nodded with a thumbs up, sincerely hoping this conversation would be over with.

Adam then brought his wrist up to his face, allowing a projection to shine out of a bracelet he was wearing. He spent a moment shifting through various things and found what he was looking for given his relieved smile.

He met Lance's eyes, "well, considering you might still be feeling a tad under the weather..." He mumbled while biting his lip. Adam pinched his fingers together and then stretched them out, enlarging what appeared to be a schedule. "We're going to have to re-schedule your training with Blaytz."

At the mention of the name, Lance's brows shot up in surprise, "wait! Blaytz is here?!" He exclaimed, getting excited. He hadn't seen him in ages, Blaytz was one of his favorite people to be around. There was never anything secret between the two of them and he never judged his inherit curiousness, it was like they connected in a way Lance never thought was possible.

Adam nodded, not at all phased by Lance's scream. It was futile to get him to use his inside voice, it made this place a bit more lively. "Yes, but considering you might be sick it might not be the best idea," he said, rearranging a couple of things. Considering how low he said it, Lance would've guessed he was actually talking to himself.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Sputtered Lance quickly, waving his hands in front of him. 

That didn't seem to work as Adam was too immersed in his work, something that happened often. Lance often joked he should find himself a significant other to watch over him, Adam rolled his eyes every time. Lance ended up having to grab his wrist to get him to stop, "I said I'm feeling _fine_ ," he spoke slowly, hoping Adam would actually pay attention. Judging by the scowl on his face he heard Lance just fine.

"No need to speak to me as if I was a baby, Lance," scowled Adam, lowering his wrist thus causing the hologram to disappear along with it

Lance chuckled sheepishly as he scratched the side of his head. "sorry," he said. "So-" he began to twiddle his thumb- "is he here?" He inquired, itching to begin his training session.

"Yes, Lance," answered Adam, "but before you-"

Unfortunately for him, Lance had already raced out of the room. Adam stood there, his hair slightly disheveled. It didn't matter how many times Lance had done that, which was a lot, he was always flabbergasted by how much energy the kid had. Getting over the abrupt exit, he fixed his hair with a slight chuckle. "I swear, he gets none of this energy from Alfor," he muttered.

* * *

After putting on a jumpsuit that was largely black and white with blue accents, and getting his white bow, Lance was ready to train. To say he was excited was an understatement, it was rare that Blaytz came to Altea. Training with him always felt easy and like a challenge at the same time. He knew how to tests Lance's limits at all the right times.

He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he walked into the training deck. It didn't take long for Lance to spot Blaytz as he was the only person in the room. "Blaytz!" He called out, running towards him.

Blaytz turned to the source of the noise with a wide grin, "Lance!"

Lance didn't stop running until he jumped into his arms for a hug. Like always, Blaytz caught him without fail. The two always did that when they saw each other. It wasn't all that fun to just hug each other like normal people anyway. Not to mention it was always funny to see Alfor get a mini heart attack every time.

"How've you been?" Asked Lance as Blaytz put him down.

"Great! Even better now that you're here," he responded, hooking Lance's neck under his arm to give him a small nuggie.

Lance laughed and shoved his arm away. Blaytz was like the big brother he never had but desperately wanted. Sure, he had Allura, but it's clear having a sister isn't the same as having a brother. "Are you really here to train me?" He asked, fixing his hair with a bright smile.

"Of course, I didn't come here for nothing." He grabbed the bow that was strapped to his back, "where's yours?" He asked.

Laughing sheepishly, Lance realized he had dropped it on his way to hug Blaytz. He walked over to where he dropped it and picked it up. "So," he said, "what are we doing today?"

Blaytz clapped him on the shoulder with a mischevious glint in his eyes, "you'll see," he said simply.

* * *

Sweat was trailing down his back as he shot another arrow. Lance had no idea how long they had been at this, he lost track of time. He didn't even know how many times he'd managed to shoot his target, the target being Blaytz. He had told him while in battle whoever his target was, they would be moving at all times. So, Lance had to be able to draw his bow and have precise aim while Blaytz ran around the room.

It was turning out to be more difficult than he had initially thought given that Blaytz was faster than he looked. He pulled back the string of his bow causing an arrow to appear. Lance closed one eye, his other one following his target's movements.

He assured Lance it would be worth it in the end when he was more skilled with a bow. Lance did, however, kind of miss having training sessions with his father, who taught him how to use a sword. He froze and then all the memories from yesterday come back. He remembered how disappointed his father looked when he told him his desire to see something strictly forbidden. His stance was beginning to falter, he could feel it, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about what happened.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the wind being knocked out of him as he fell to the ground. Glancing up, Lance saw a smug Blaytz looking down at him. Groaning he laid his back against the cold, metal floor of the training deck.

Raising a brow, Blaytz sat beside him and nudged Lance's calf with his foot. "Something wrong?" He asked, "you might as well tell me cause you're usually focused 100 percent of the time."

Lance gave himself a moment to just stare at the ceiling before hoisting himself up to sit. "I think father is disappointed in me," he sighed, fiddling with the blue string of the bow sitting in front of him. He didn't think he was that far off, given that lecture he was given, he was sure he gave his father another reason to regret acknowledging him as far as he knew.

"What makes you say that?" Questioned Blaytz.

"Well..." Lance dropped the bowstring from his hand and opted for fiddling with his nails, which he had just painted purple yesterday. It was a nice color against his skin, though, it began to chip thanks to the training he was doing.

"Lance."

Ah, he got distracted. Lance cursed at himself for letting his mind wander so easily in such a serious conversation, something like this happened more often than he wanted to admit. Yet another thing his father might dislike him for. "I think he's still upset with what I said yesterday," he finally admitted.

Blaytz scoffed, "come on, I'm sure it's not that bad. Besides, your father is just a serious man-" he began to chuckle- "I can't even count how many times your father scolded me or..." He trailed off and cleared his throat, "for, uh, rushing into things without thinking."

Lance rose a brow and wondered if he heard Blaytz correctly or not, he could've sworn he was about to name someone else. He shrugged, it was probably just him hearing things.

"So, what did you tell him to get him upset in the first place?"

At that question, Lance groaned and fell flat on his back all over again. He winced slightly when he hit his head harder than before. "I'm surprised you don't know. Basically, everyone here knows by now," he responded, crossing his arms.

He stayed staring up at the ceiling, not wanting to catch Blaytz's eyes. He'd rather not get another lecture as to why what he said was stupid and a dumb idea. Lance knew Blaytz wouldn't be as harsh, but he still didn't want him to see him as some overly curious, reckless idiot.

"Well?" He heard Blaytz ask.

Lance sighed, he might as well tell him to get it over with. He sat up and stared down at his feet. "I told father I was interested in seeing..." He stopped, his voice was shaking, he felt it while he spoke. He loathed telling him the rest.

Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Lance." He took a chance and glanced up at Blaytz to see him gazing at him with a smile, "you can tell me anything, don't be afraid." He felt his shoulder receive a reassuring squeeze.

Lance returned his smile and took a deep breath, "I told father I wanted to see the Galra Empire..." After he said that, he had no idea if he imagined it or not, but he could've sworn he felt the room drop by ten degrees. He didn't dare look at Blaytz's face this time, he was probably thinking Lance was insane.

It felt like a year's worth of deafening silence had settled between the two, which was rare considering they both loved to talk. After another horrid moment of that same silence, Lance couldn't take it anymore. "Well, um, look at the time," he babbled, "I was supposed to meet Allura in the garden, see you."

Lance got up from the floor and walked out, not daring to glance back at Blaytz.

* * *

The thing Lance had said earlier about meeting Allura wasn't a total lie. Sure, Allura wasn't actually meeting him out here but Blaytz could figure that out later. After changing out of that jumpsuit, he had put on his normal princely attire. Which, he just realized, involves a lot of earrings. It consisted of a gold cuff chain at the helix of his ear, a simple gold stud placed higher on his lobe and a pair of pink earrings that dangled from his ears. He never minded it, he always thought they accented his beauty.

Lance took off one of the pink earrings and stared down at it with a bittersweet smile. Those were his first pair when he first became a prince. When they asked what type of earrings he wanted he was confused at first, but after being explained he didn't have to worry about costs he immediately asked for ones similar to Allura's but in pink.

They asked why that color, but he never said. It was a private reason he sometimes didn't like thinking about.

Lance sighed and put it back on. He gazed down at the field of juniberries he was sitting in. He picked up one of the flowers and smelled it, oddly enough, he always thought his mother smelled like these flowers. Considering she was here most of the time it was probably true, but he had a hard time remembering certain things about this mother at times. Instinctively, he brushed his fingers against the pink earring.

He let his hand fall to his side and was about to place the flower behind his ear until he felt something slam into his back causing him to fall forward. There was a feeling of deja vu there. "What the-?" He asked before getting interrupted by a blur of blue and black tackling him.

Before he had a chance to panic, the blur began to lick his face and tickle his nose with their fur. Lance began to laugh, "Okay, okay, stop it!" He yelled between his spouts of laughter.

The assault then stopped and Lance got a better look at his assaulter. His eyes widened when he saw Kosmo sitting there, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Kosmo?!" He exclaimed, "what are doing here?" He reached out to pet his ear.

Kosmo closed his eyes in bliss and leaned into his touch. Lance then realized there was no point in asking as Kosmo couldn't even talk as far as he was concerned. Then, he remembered just about anyone can walk by and see the wolf, who would definitely look out of place against the bright colors of Altea.

"Okay," Lance mumbled, thinking of where he could possibly hide Kosmo. Then, an idea came.

"Kosmo," he said. The wolf opened his eyes and turned to look at him.

"Do you think you could teleport me to my room?" He asked, nudging his head in the direction of his balcony.

Kosmo stared at him, which left Lance wondering if the wolf had understood what he had asked. Nonetheless, he grabbed onto his fur which caused them to disappear from the garden.

They reappeared on the balcony he showed Kosmo. Lance looked out towards the scenery and went pale at the sight of a crater that was closer to the castle. Kosmo, meanwhile, was blissfully unaware and didn't seem to care either. Lance sighed and walked into his room, quickly taking a seat on his bed.

He saw Kosmo walk over to his feet and stare up at him. Lance then began to stroke Kosmo's fur with a weary smile, "how'd you get here anyway?" He asked.

Lance froze, "wait, dumb question. You can teleport," he deadpanned.

"I guess a better question is why?" Asked Lance, "did someone get tired of those boring colors? Yes, he did." His tone was that of how someone would speak to a baby, but the wolf didn't seem to mind as he leaned into Lance's touch.

Lance continued to coo at the dog until he heard a knock at his door. He froze and quickly latched into Kosmo in hopes to stop him from teleporting out the door," who is it?" He asked, skimming the room until his eyes landed on his closet. He immediately put Kosmo in there.

"It's Adam."

Before closing the door Lance gave Kosmo a hard look, "don't teleport out of there," he whispered, pointing his finger at him. The wolf tilted his head in response as if not understanding a word he said, had it not been so cute Lance would've rolled his eyes.

"Come in," he called out, trying to keep his nervous twitching to a minimum.

Adam then came in with a concerned expression, "are you alright? I heard you skipped out on Blaytz before you two finished," he said, reaching out to touch Lance's forehead. "You really _were_ sick and you lied, didn't you?" He asked sternly.

Lance grabbed Adam's wrist. "It's nothing, I was just tired. Didn't get enough sleep I guess," he replied, shrugging. He'd rather not think about the way Blaytz was obviously upset with him just like his father was and probably wanted nothing to do with him now. He held in the sigh threatening to escape, not like he could try to forget that little visit given that the Galra's dog was in his closet. He also found himself not wanting to forget.

Adam rose a brow, "if you say so," he shrugged, "well, considering you still might be a bit worn out. I'll let you have the rest of the day to yourself." He lifted his wrist to examine Lance's schedule. He walked out the door and began to mutter to himself about rearranging a few things.

When he left and closed the door, Lance breathed out a sigh of relief. At that moment, Kosmo decided he'd had enough being in the closet and teleported out. He felt him nudge his wet nose against his hand. "Sometimes I wonder if you're more trouble than you're worth," he said, leaning down to cup Kosmo's face in his hands.

Kosmo only responded by giving Lance's nose a single lick. He chuckled and wiped his nose, then, he heard a small rumble which sounded eerily similar to a stomach growling. "Was that you or me?" He questioned. Once again, Kosmo licked him in response.

"Alright then," Lance muttered to himself. He wasn't insane for essentially talking to himself, right? Adam did it all the time and he seemed okay as far as he knew. He lowered his hands from Kosmo's face, "I'll go down to the kitchen's, while you-"

Lance didn't finish his sentence as Kosmo immediately teleported them out of his room and right in front of the entryway to the kitchen. Inside was Hunk and Pidge. Hunk appeared to be busy cooking while Pidge was sitting on a counter staring at a hologram being projected from something that looked like a small, square piece of glass. She was shifting around several things being displayed. They both stopped whatever they were doing to see whoever just came in.

"Lance, hey," greeted Hunk. He tried peering over Lance's shoulder, he could've sworn he saw something behind his friend's back.

Before he could get a better look Lance had grabbed the cape on his outside and lifted it, shielding whatever was behind him. However, when Lance began to play around with the seam and Hunk ruled it off as one of Lance's many quirks.

"Came just in time too. I just finished making you something," said Hunk. He then began to ramble on about how Adam had informed him that Lance wasn't feeling well today. Also, how he hadn't eaten anything all day, which was his biggest concern.

Lance, meanwhile, was barely even paying attention to what Hunk was saying and spent his time wondering how Kosmo even knew where the kitchen was. That question, however, would be answered soon by Pidge, who looked up from whatever she was staring at.

"I think he gets it, Hunk," she interjected, stretching out her arms, "anyway, there's something more important than your little dilemma going on." Pidge groaned under breath. She looked just about ready to throw the device projecting the hologram across the room.

"What happened?" Asked Lance, shifting slightly to better hide Kosmo.

Pidge rose a brow at his movement but said nothing. "Well, apparently, some of the servants claimed that they saw some dog running around the hallways," she explained, "I've been tasked with looking through the footage of the castle to see if I can spot them." With her tone, it seemed like she wasn't happy being tasked with something so mediocre.

Fortunately for Lance, neither of them noticed the way he froze at the mention of a dog running around. Surely, there was no doubt it was Kosmo causing the trouble. He scowled as he glanced back at the culprit. That scowl didn't last long when he saw the innocent look Kosmo gave him, as if blissfully unaware of the trouble he was causing.

"Can't they just scan the castle for something like this?" Asked Hunk, who was busy preparing plates for what Lance assumed to be meals for all three of them.

Pidge sighed and crossed her arms, "I wish, but the King himself insisted that something like this wasn't too serious considering the dog hasn't _really_ harmed anyone as far as we knew," she drawled, taking off her glasses to rub her nose.

Lance would have to disagree with there, this dog was harming his mental stability. He swore he would be growing white hair had he not been born with it. Don't get him wrong, Kosmo was adorable, Lance just wished he wasn't causing him this much trouble.

Hunk rolled his eyes at what Pidge said. "That's stupid," he commented, "if they scanned the castle then this whole thing would be over in, like, two ticks." He walked over to a table in the kitchen to set the plates down.

Lance let his eyes follow Hunk as he set the plates down. A bittersweet feeling came with it. Before he had become a prince he remembered all the times he'd come here during his lunch break to eat with Pidge and Hunk. Now, times they sat together were scarce thanks to his duties. He couldn't stay now considering his little dilemma with Kosmo.

Before Hunk could set Lance's plate down he called out to him. "Hey, buddy," he said, "no need to put it down, just give it to me. I'm not feeling too well, so, I'll just take it up to my room." He ignored the slightly hurt looks on both his friends' faces. It may not seem like a big deal to others, but considering these past deca-pheobs, the time they spent together was usually short.

Hunk handed it to him with a smile anyway, "feel better, Lance." He smiled.

"Yeah," piped up Pidge, "I can't annoy you while you're sick." There was a teasing grin on her lips when she saw Lance roll his eyes.

"Don't worry about it guys," responded Lance, "see you later." He began to do an awkward shuffle backward, his back still facing Kosmo. He noticed his friends give him weird looks at the way he walked, but neither of them said anything.

When he was out of their sight he let out a sigh of relief and turned to Kosmo. "You know where to go," he said simply, gripping the plate tightly in hopes of not letting the contents spill when they reappeared in his bedroom.

Lance felt like he was going to cry from relief when he saw the familiar surroundings of his room. Checking the door, he leaned against it when he noticed it was still locked. "Okay, good," he mumbled to himself. He sat at his vanity and set his plate down there.

Normally, he never liked eating in his room. Mostly because he feared it would start to smell like the food he brought in. Sometimes it did, but that was nothing a good perfume couldn't fix anyway. He grabbed his fork to begin eating only to interrupted by a small whine.

In his heart, Lance knew it would be a bad idea to look down at Kosmo's face. Nonetheless, he took his chances and felt his heart begin to clench at the sight of Kosmo's puppy dog face. Cursing under his breath he decided to give him a portion of his food.

He was sure Kosmo was laughing at how gullible he was.

Grumbling, he continued to eat, trying not to fall for Kosmo's whines and begging looks.

It didn't work. And he was sure by the time he was done Kosmo had eaten about half of his food.

"You're becoming a lot more trouble than you're worth, you know that?" Asked Lance, leaning down to stroke Kosmo's fur. The wolf, who didn't seem to understand, just stared at Lance, happy to receive more attention.

Lance laughed and began to scratch him behind the ear causing Kosmo to lean into his touch and close his eyes. And with all the affection, it seemed like Kosmo got distracted.

Out of nowhere, Lance was dragged out of his seat and flung down to the floor. Except, it certainly didn't feel like his floor. This one felt metallic and a lot colder than what he'd normally used to.

Taking in his surroundings, he noticed he was in a bland looking room. The only thing in the room was a bed, a desk, and a closet. It didn't take a genius to guess where he might be considering the boring room and color.

Black.

"Quiznak."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one chapter took longer than expected... Sorry about that. 
> 
> Anyway, this one ended up being about 5,500 words! I'm gonna try to make most chapters that length so you guys have more to read. 
> 
> Also, new characters here? In this story? It's more likely than you think. And Blaytz too?? Wow, what a surprise.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day started normally until two big problems decided to slam into Keith like a raging Yelmor. He should've known nothing about his life would ever be too simple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if you'll be able to tell, but this isn't one of my best. Also, the writer's block that hit me during this was horrible which is why it took so long to update.

Keith still remembers the day when he first received the news that he was being stationed in Hodralea. That memory was still fresh in his mind as if it happened yesterday despite it having been just a few deca-phoebs ago. He was just out of training with other potential Galran soldiers and, out of all of them, he was chosen to go to the farthest corner of the Empire.

Hodralea was the only reason the Galra Empire stretched so far into the Kandov belt. Not much is known as to why Zarkon wanted to keep this planet under his control after he'd gotten what he wanted from it. However, rumors went around that the high priestess had something to do with it, but again, it was nothing but a rumor.

Despite being on such a dreary, empty planet Keith still discovered a few things. The first thing he came to discover was that the Hodrali are no longer natives on this planet, they were all taken away to mines the Empire had around the universe. The second was the reason why he was really put here in the first place.

Before saying exactly why, a little backstory is in order.

Before even being labeled as a footsoldier, the lowest rank in the Empire, Keith was just one of many orphaned kits. There's no need to ask how he was orphaned he didn't even know himself and there wasn't much to say about his parents anyway. He barely remembers their faces.

During his time training with other Galra, it didn't consist of many lessons. The only thing they were taught was how to fight and that their only purpose of living was to serve Zarkon.

Other things like basic reading and writing were taught to them as kids, surprisingly enough Keith knew how to do both of those things despite not having parents. Now as teens, their only purpose was to spend the rest of their lives serving the Emporer, then eventually die for him. You know, Veprit sa and all that.

Just like every Galran alongside Keith, he followed everything taught to without a second thought. Not like you could blame him, there was no one to tell him he should be free to do whatever he pleased as his life belonged to him and him alone. As far as he was concerned at the time, his life belonged to Zarkon.

No one ever said the system was unjust. It was simple and made for quick soldiers ready to please.

Fortunately, even half-galrans were allowed to join, the more pawns the better. They're just as good as dying and killing others as full Galra, so, might as well.

However, that doesn't mean they were treated the same. Keith trained harder than anyone for that reason. He couldn't afford to be average with his type of lineage.

If he didn't make the cut, he'd be tossed aside to work alongside other aliens enslaved by the Galra in the mines. That was something that happened to anyone who didn't make the cut to be a strong soldier, except for the Galra. They still had a better chance to redeem themselves.

When the higher ups heads were turned, sometimes on purpose, half-galrans were treated like how one would treat dirt. Easy to step all over and spit at. Keith, however, let himself become top of his class thanks to all of them. They fueled his fire to succeed with all their harsh words and actions.

* * *

Each hit towards him came as quick as the last. Sweat began to trail down his back and forehead, he had to take a moment to drag the back of his hand across his brow as to not get any drops near his eyes. In that split second in which he was vulnerable, his opponent decided to take advantage and charge towards him.

Quickly, Keith brought his hand back down to his side and raised his sword. Shiro struck one of his hands down on his sword, having hoped to finish this duel by striking at his head. Surprisingly enough, Shiro never so much as flinched when he bare fists landed on the blade of his sword. He was sure had enough strength to bend it in half anyway since he was full Galra.

He remembered the first time Shiro offered to spar and decided to only use his hands. Keith had to stare at him for a whole dobosh, wondering his friend had said that right. Now, however, it felt more normal. The surprise came when Shiro would decide to use his own blade.

Right now, Keith knew sooner or later he would be bested by Shiro again. He never truly minded, Shiro was a worthy opponent to lose to. Besides he had beaten tons of other full Galra before. Although, when he first lost against him, he certainly wasn't eager to swallow his pride after losing. At the time, it made him feel as if all that training was for nothing if he couldn't even beat the strongest one here.

It took a while, but he soon came to respect Shiro. He became a role model of sorts for Keith, and then, family. He was the only person he ever looked up to and went to for guidance. Keith could never ask for anyone better.

Soon enough, Keith turned out to be right as Shiro landed a fatal blow right to his gut with his free hand causing him to grunt and kneel down. He heard Shiro's footsteps slowly walk to his kneeled down form and stand over him, "do you yield?" He asked sternly.

With the last of his strength, Keith raised his sword and pointed it right where Shiro's jugular was located. "Never, victory or death" he simply answered.

The next thing he heard was Shiro beginning to chuckle, "okay, okay. No need for the dramatics," he responded, holding out his hand for Keith to grab.

When Shiro finally pulled him up Keith couldn't help but let out a small grunt of discomfort. "Geez, you couldn't have gone a little softer with the punches?" He groaned, rubbing the spot Shiro hit.

Another chuckle came from him, Keith scowled. "You know that's not my style," Shiro simply responded, ruffling Keith's hair.

Keith swiped his hand away, "how could I forget your` style usually consisted of being a quiznaking brute," he snapped playfully. A smirk settled on his lips when saw Shiro's surprised face.

"Keith, such language. I ought to wash out your mouth for that."

"Whatever grandpa," he teased, flicking at Shiro's white bangs.

Shiro frowned at him, "very funny. You know you're the cause of some of these white hairs," he joked, shoving his elbow near the spot he hit. A triumphant came on his face when he heard Keith let out a soft groan.

Then, Shiro soon realized something. He was a tad distracted. The sparring between the of them was normal, but, oddly, there was something missing. It took him a bit to remember and up until now, he ignored that inkling feeling. "Hey, where's Kosmo?" He asked, "by now he usually tackles me after defeating for the hundredth time."

Keith snorted, "do you actually keep count?" He inquired.

"It's one of my only pleasures left in life here," joked Shiro.

Keith only let out a small laugh and thought back on Kosmo for a moment. What Shiro said was true, but for the most part, he kept his wolf hidden anyway. The reason why was that the higher-ups wouldn't be too keen on seeing an unfamiliar creature prowling around the halls. For them, it would most likely be shoot (or stab) first and ask questions later.

Kosmo was there early that morning when Keith had left and usually, as Shiro said, he would pop up right now to give Shiro a little surprise attack. He always wondered how his dog somehow knew when and where to do so. Maybe this time, he wondered, Kosmo actually did want it to be a surprise by waiting for the right time.

Keith gave Shiro a shrug in response to his previous question. "Maybe Kosmo wants to give you a fatal heart attack in your old age," he quipped. He inwardly decided future Keith would worry about it later.

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Sure. Anyway, I got in contact with N'Tarii." His voice had dropped to a whisper, but not before checking his surroundings to see if anyone else was in the room.

Keith's brows rose, "really? What did she say?"

Shiro's eye twitched as if dreading what he was going to say next. "Apparently, things aren't going so well. They've had a bit of a setback with some information," Shiro explained while crossing his arms, "that's all she could say before cutting communication. I'd have to guess it'll be a while 'till we hear anything else from her."

Without even realizing, Keith mirrored Shiro and crossed his arms. He groaned in frustration. "I can't believe this... It's starting to feel like they are catching on," he sighed, "I never thought this would happen to N'Tarii." He didn't know her very well and any conversation they had may have been sparse, but, to him, N'Tarii was like a natural born leader. She was very meticulous with her planning, which made her an excellent fit as the leader of the Blade of Marmora. Speaking of...

"Hey... Uh, did ever think we should have a different name?" Keith asked, slightly cringing at the drastic change in topic.

Judging by the expression on Shiro's face that seemed to have caught him off guard. " Well... No? Not really," he shrugged, "where'd that come from?" He questioned, his brow raised.

Keith shrugged and stayed quiet, his feet shuffling slightly. "Nothing, don't worry about it," he replied quickly, his face growing hot. He silently cursed at Lance for putting the idea in his head. The paranoid side of his mind wanted to suspect Lance just wanted him to look stupid when he brought it up.

From the corner of his eye, he could see a teasing glint in Shiro's eye. "Oh, come on, don't tell me you're keeping secrets from your brother now," he teased, nudging Keith with his elbow causing him to flinch.

Keith swatted Shiro's hand away, "nothing, don't worry about it," he said dismissively. "I'm gonna head back to my room to take care of my injury." He sent a pointed look Shiro's way, who didn't seem fazed at all.

As Keith walked off with a hand to his side he didn't notice Shiro raise a questioning brow at him. Usually, he had never gone to his room until the end of the day, even with an injury. Nonetheless, he shrugged and walked out of the room.

* * *

"Officer."

The moment Keith heard that voice he immediately stopped walking and turned to see one of the lieutenant commanders standing behind him. Quickly, he saluted to him. "Lieutenant commander Olmis," Keith said.

"At ease," he commanded with a raised hand, "I have an important assignment for you." His hands were then folded behind his back and like always, there was a stern, expressionless look on his face.

At that, Keith got a tad tense. Surely, it had to be nothing good considering what had just happened to N'Tarii. Not to mention how both Shiro and Kolar had gotten caught doing things they weren't supposed to.

"You are our most trusted officer here. We have become aware that there might be a mole among the Empire and considering you were at the top of your group back in training-"

Keith's eye twitched, _funny you mention that now and not when I first came here_ , he thought bitterly.

"You are our most trusted officer here and we decided you will investigate to make sure it is not among us," explained Olmis, "you will report to us every movement with your findings, understood?"

Despite it sounding like a question, in reality, he knew there was no way to back out of it. Even if he tried to there was the possibility he would end up getting suspected. In the end, there was no other choice.

"Understood, Lieutenant commander."

Olmis nodded as Keith saluted to him and walked off. He deduced it was to go back to the closed-off room filled with the other lieutenant commanders and head commander. Finding out what exactly was the purpose of that room become a top priority for the Blades here, but it wasn't an easy thing to figure out.

Then again, the whole reason why Zarkon still had this planet under his thumb was a mystery in of itself.

The moment Keith was in his room he let out a small sigh and let his eyes close for a bit. He grunted a bit, feeling his side ache a little. Surprisingly, it hurt more than usual because whenever Shiro hurt him the pain usually went away quicker. But, it wasn't about the pain that sent him back to his room. There was a small inkling feeling in his chest that told him to go there, he shrugged it off as something silly and opened his eyes.

And instead of treating his injury like he planned, he froze at his place on the door. Sitting there in front of him was the very Altean he thought would never come back here along with his wolf who was missing earlier today.

When he had said he would let future Keith deal with it, he had meant it as a joke and didn't think it would back to bite him in the ass.

Who knew future Keith would be so screwed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The founder of the Blade, a woman??? In my story??? It's more likely than you think.
> 
> Anyway, I wanted to inform you all that unlike the actual good writers on this site I did not fully plan out this story. Essentially, I'm doing the writing chapter by chapter rather than having like a set outline or something which is why it might feel a bit weird reading this at times considering I didn't plan ahead.
> 
> I do have ideas though which is better than going in blind, right?
> 
> Thank you all for still reading this story anyway, even if it may not be all that amazing. The only thing I ask of you is to get this story more attention it'd be great to see a lot of people reading this.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave good comments for me, it encourages me to keep writing and lets me know you're enjoying the story. Feel free to tell about any typos I missed so I can correct them. 
> 
> Tumblr: SolriFairy
> 
> So, what did you guys think? Thoughts?


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